EXCLUSIVE: Eureka star Salli Richardson and Greg Cromer have joined Roseanne Barr’s NBC comedy pilot Downwardly Mobile. Co-created by Barr, John Argent and showrunner Eric Gilliland, the multicamera Downwardly Mobile stars Barr as Rose, the proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Barr’s Roseanne co-star John Goodman co-stars as Rose’s buddy Buzz. Cromer will play Mr. Denby, a loveable hedge fund guy who recently lost everything in a Ponzi scheme. He’s taken his wife, Mrs. Denby (Richardson), on a “vacation” — to the trailer park — in the attempt to start fresh at the bottom. Miserable in her new surroundings, Mrs. Denby becomes Rose’s foil. This marks the first comedy series project for Richardson, repped by Innovative and manager Craig Dorfman. She spent the past five years on the Syfy series Eureka where she played Allison Blake. Her co-star on the show, Colin Ferguson, also booked a pilot, Fox’s comedy Like Father. Cromer, repped by Greene & Associates and manager Tom Harrison, has been recurring on Community and The Middle.

15 Comments

P • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

This whole Ponzi scheme ploy is so played out now. Too many shows are doing it now. And I can imagine how this will be…the ex-rich people and Roseanne will have a culture clash…sterotypes ensue…hardy har har.

P • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

…And why couldn’t they just have the group of characters just be working poor? Why the line between rich & poor? Now many of the jokes will be just rich & poor sterotypes.

ONEandDONE • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Am I deluded, or does crazy Roseanne still have almost unparalleled viewer cred? I’m struggling to think how many actors could open a sitcom to the numbers that the Downwardly Mobile premiere will draw. After that it all depends on quality, obviously. And Goodman is key.

But this has to be huge, right?

Michael • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

As I have been saying all along, after Act 1 this pilot is hilarious to read. 25% annoying setup/jokes, 75% genius.

flixnut • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

This is a horrible idea for a show. People are seriously hurting, economically. This “comedy” seems like salt on the wound.

alwaysanangel • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

I love Roseanne,she tells it like it is….I love everything she does, she talks her talk and has come a long way baby….
Best of luck…I’ll be watching….and what is it like to see Chuck Lorre drunk?

great ideacomes from above • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Hey Roseanne, hire Nicolette Sheridan, she is hot and needs a great job….your loss Marc Cherry…..

John Sykes • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Really great that all these white people are getting jobs on television.
They really are underrepresented… great they’re making in-roads…

Seriously, where the f**k is the diversity?!!!!

Jack • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Salli Richardson is African American.

Sara • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

umm…isn’t Sally Richardson mixed? I would hope you would see that as diversity.

g.ast • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t some kind of nod be given to the people that cast them in these roles prior to being fired from the show? Risa Garcia put Salli there and her associate Mike Page is the one who got Cromer in the door…

derrick • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Someone’s bitter. Hmm….if it took Risa’s associate to get Cromer in the door…..what was Risa doing not letting him in in the first place?

Linda Bonville • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Some of you people are angry and haters. Rosanne Barr is hilarious, talented but most of all she is real. I loved Roseanne’s Nuts and was sad to see is taken off the air. I refuse to watch fake lives and phony people. This gal makes us laugh and who doesn’t enjoy a good belly laugh these days? If you want to watch Fake & Phony,& lies, watch the politicians.

michael • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

Love Roseanne! Throw in Goody and Doc Potterywood from Community and now we’ve got a party!!

Joe Drefahl • on Mar 20, 2012 3:25 pm

IF Roseanne doesn’t win the presidential election, which she SHOULD, she certainly deserves success with the new show. She’s BEEN on the other side of the tracks, so she KNOWS what it’s like to be VERY poor. Don’t hate her for becoming a success. She EARNED everything good in her life!